The Shooting Part 2: What's going on?
by TotalFanGirl221B
Summary: I honestly don't know what happened, I just thought that I needed this story to go with my other one. Please, please review.
1. Chapter 1

John came down to the living room at around ten in the morning, thinking Sherlock was either still awake or had woken up incredibly early. However, when he opened the living room door and looked inside, there was no sign of the consulting detective. So, he entered slowly, seeming a little puzzled. He looked around to see if Sherlock had left any clue to where he could be. He turned his head slightly to look into the kitchen, but all he saw was some 'experiment' and that was about it. John had no clue as to where Sherlock was. Could he still be asleep? Did he actually go to sleep? Neither of these seemed like Sherlock, but he decided he may as well check it out anyway. He peered his head slowly round Sherlock's ajar door, knocking as he did. Still there was absolutely no sign of Sherlock or where he could be.

John wandered back into the living room scratching his head. He then reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He decided to text Sherlock asking him where he was. While he waited for a reply, he sat on the armchair and picked up a newspaper that had been left there.

While reading and waiting for Sherlock's reply, John noticed something. The newspaper had a bit of a bump. He seemed puzzled by this, and checked again. He then shook it slightly and a small envelope fell out onto the floor. John slowly placed the newspaper back down onto the table and picked up the letter. 'Sherlock Holmes' the front read. John took a minute to decide whether he should look at it as it had already been opened. He then remembered all the times that Sherlock had read his mail and thought it was only fair. So, he placed his fingers into the envelope and pulled out a small letter. However, he could also feel something else in the envelope; it was cold and long, a necklace. He also pulled that out and held it up to take a better look at what it was. It was a locket. A love heart shaped locket. He didn't know whether he wanted to open it. What would he find? So, he decided it best to take a look at the letter. 'I'm sorry. Please will you just talk to me?' that's all that was written on the letter. John took a quick look at the back to see if there was anything else written on it, maybe a name or something, but no. John knew this was important and it was probably the reason Sherlock was nowhere to be seen. On the other hand, he had no idea where Sherlock could be so he just had to wait until Sherlock returned.

John waited another half an hour and still there was no sign of Sherlock; he hadn't called or anything. John had tried to figure out who the letter had been sent from, but he had absolutely no idea of that either, so all he could do was wait. However, he soon remembered the locket. The heart shaped locket. He knew it wasn't right to look after he'd just read Sherlock's letter, but he didn't know where the hell Sherlock was, so he had to check. He picked up the locket and inspected the outside of it for a moment. Then, he slowly opened the heart and found a small picture inside of it. Sherlock. Sherlock and a woman. Both Sherlock and the woman were smiling, and not the fake smile Sherlock would often do; it was a true smile, he was genuinely happy. His arm was around her shoulder holding her. Who the woman was John had no clue, but it must have been someone close to him. That's when he remembered. Rachel. Sherlock's wife. Sherlock's _dead _wife. What did this have to do with the letter and who sent it? It couldn't have been her, she was dead. What else had Sherlock not told John? Suddenly, John heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs quite quickly. He recognised the sound and knew it was Sherlock's feet that were making their way up to the room. John panicked but managed to close the locket and slip it into the envelope just in time. He jumped out of his seat just as Sherlock opened the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" John asked, looking at Sherlock innocently, hoping the consulting detective wasn't able to see behind his betraying eyes.

"I just went to speak to Molly about something, I'm sure I left a note somewhere..." Sherlock managed to speak without hesitation, but John was still sure he was lying.

"No you didn't; I checked everywhere. Plus, I rang Molly and Lestrade, in fact, and they said they hadn't seen you." John hadn't actually called Molly, though he had rung Lestrade. He knew that Sherlock might believe him and tell him about everything. However, Sherlock was incredibly clever. He scanned John quickly and could see he was lying.

"You didn't call Molly, otherwise you would have been told that I was there inspecting the corpse of Jack Hill. You could always call her now and see what she says." John hesitated a little, he knew that if he did ring Molly she could tell him Sherlock was there and she might just be lying for Sherlock or she could be telling the truth; either way he wasn't going to get Sherlock to confess.

"Right." John nodded. "Oh, Lestrade said when I see you to tell you he has a case for you, a robbery, wondered if you were interested?"

"I don't do robberies." Sherlock sighed even though he was incredibly bored and actually interested in the case. "However, I will take it." Sherlock said pretending not to care.

"Right, Lestrade asked you to meet him at Scotland Yard in about 20 minutes, so we should grab a taxi." Sherlock nodded and headed out of the flat. John followed quickly and ran down the stairs behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

John and Sherlock sat in the taxi in silence. John kept tapping the edge of the window eager to ask Sherlock who the note was from. Sherlock looked over at him. "So, you read it." John quickly turned to Sherlock, he tried to look like he had no clue what Sherlock was on about, but Sherlock already knew. "Don't pretend that you didn't; if you hadn't you wouldn't have quizzed me about being at St Bart's." John sighed and opened his mouth to say something, but Sherlock quickly spoke. "And the locket?" John sighed once more and looked down at the taxi floor. "You looked at that too. Right."

"Don't be like that! I didn't know where you were or what you were doing. You've been acting strangely all week."

"That didn't mean you had to go through my personal mail."

"You go through mine often enough!" John shouted as he realised the taxi had come to a halt.

Sherlock didn't reply to John's last comment. He left the taxi and went up to Lestrade's office, leaving John to pay the driver. John the jogged over to Sherlock who was heading up the stairs to Lestrade's office. "Listen, Sherlock, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was... I didn't realise..."

"Drop it, John." Sherlock stopped suddenly and gave John a stern look. John was quite scared at first; Sherlock looked like he was going to punch him hard. However, Sherlock took a deep breath and then just continued up the stairs. John also took a moment to breathe and then followed him.

Lestrade met both Sherlock and John outside of his office and invited them in. He offered them both a seat and then sat behind his desk. He could see straight away there was something going on between Sherlock and John. They didn't seem as comfortable and friendly with each other. "How are you both?"

"Good, good." John smiled.

"The case?" Sherlock asked; eager to get on with his work. Lestrade coughed and then began to unravel the case.

Throughout the discussion Sherlock's lack of interest grew. This case was so boring and he had better things he could be doing right then. John was being polite and listened to everything about the case, even though it was incredibly boring. "Lestrade, you don't need me for this case. Even you could solve this case." Sherlock interrupted him. Lestrade smiled a little. "Don't take that as a compliment; this case is so simple." Sherlock rose from his chair and then began to make his way out of the office.

"Sherlock-"

"What? Even you know what the conclusion is. Come on!"

"That's not the point!" John shouted at Sherlock once again. Lestrade seemed quite shocked but didn't interrupt them. "What is wrong with you? Why have you been acting so strange? Not even you are this rude on a bad day. So what is it?" Silence. Complete silence from everyone.

"Anyway, the case." Lestrade decided it was best to interrupt. Sherlock rolled his eyes and both he and John looked back at Lestrade.

"Go and speak to the owner." Sherlock said quickly. Before Lestrade could ask why, Sherlock continued to leave Scotland Yard.

"What's wrong with him?" Lestrade asked John when Sherlock just left.

"I don't know; he's been acting weird for a couple of days now. This morning he claimed to be at St Bart's, but I know he wasn't. He won't tell me where he went or what's going on." Lestrade nodded. "I better go," John said as he placed his hands on the arms of the chair and pushed himself up.

"Let me now if you need anything." Lestrade said as John nodded and walked out.


	3. Chapter 3

John walked into the flat and saw Sherlock sat at his desk in prayer position like usual. He stood at the door for a moment waiting for Sherlock to react. "Well?" John asked after Sherlock still hadn't bothered to look at him after a few minutes.

Sherlock brought his head up and looked con fused. "Well? Well what?" John looked at him for a moment to see if he could figure out if Sherlock was serious. Did he seriously not have a clue what John was talking about?

"Aren't you going to tell me what just happened?" Sherlock scoffed and shook his head.

"I wasn't planning too, no. I didn't really think it was any of your business, like that letter."

"Are we still going on about that damn letter?! What has this all got to do with that? Please, tell me something, Sherlock!" Both John and Sherlock sighed. John calmed down as he could see he wasn't getting through to Sherlock by shouting. "Sherlock... Sherlock, a couple of months ago..." Sherlock began to huff but John continued. "A couple of months ago you were having trouble to cope with the... the death of your wife. However, you got over it. But, now, I don't know if you did. Did you? I mean, you still haven't really been acting yourself."

"I am _fine!" _Sherlock insisted, but he could hardly convince himself.

"Who was the letter from?" Sherlock looked at John in the eye.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me; who was the letter from and who is in the picture with you in the locket?" John knew it was hardly his place, but he had to get to the bottom of this and he had to find out what Sherlock wasn't telling him. John was worried that this was, once again, to do with Sherlock's wife and last time, Sherlock was on the edge. Another thing like that could push him off, so he had to try and help.

Sherlock sat in silence for a few minutes. He coughed and then began to speak. "It was my..." he hesitated a little as he coughed, John could see he was fighting a little amount of tears. "If you must know it was Rachel." Sherlock responded quickly and then shut up almost immediately. John sighed.

"Sherlock, who is the letter from?" Sherlock shook his head, he couldn't tell anyone anything. He didn't want to. "Sherlock?"

"Leave me alone!" Sherlock screamed as he stood from his chair. John jumped a little as he didn't really expect such an outrageous response. Sherlock sighed and bowed his head down. He blinked several times and shook his head more and more. "Just leave... it. Leave it." Sherlock sighed. John didn't say anything more. Then, Sherlock grabbed his coat and headed towards the door. John moved out of his way and shouted to him as he walked down the stairs calmly.

"Where are you going?"

"I need some air." Sherlock left as fast as he could, leaving John as confused as he had been in the first place.


	4. Chapter 4

John began to hear a sudden knock at the door. Mrs Hudson was on holiday, so he went down to answer. He opened the door slowly and stood before him was a girl. She was about fourteen, fifteen maybe. She had brown coloured hair and was quite tall. She wore simple clothes and seemed very quiet. "Hello?" John said to the stranger. She smiled politely and began to speak.

"Hello, I'm looking for Sherlock Holmes. Is he here?" She seemed very nice and spoke politely.

"Uh no, no. He just went out for a bit." John replied, seeming a little confused as he'd never met this girl before in his life, but he thought maybe it was one of Sherlock's homeless network or something.

"Right, right. Do you know when he'll be back?" John could see she was quite desperate to talk to him.

"No, sorry." The girl sighed and looked down to the floor. "Would you like to maybe wait inside for him?" John asked pointing inside. The girl smiled slightly and nodded.

"Oh thank you. I really need to speak with him, thanks." She smiled as John showed her up to the living room. He pointed to the sofa and she sat down. She sat at the edge as she felt incredibly awkward and she was quite a shy person.

"So, uh, did you want to ask him about a case or...?" John asked as he brought her a drink. She smiled once again and took a sip of the coffee.

"Uh, no. It's nothing like that." John nodded. "It's a bit of a private thing." John smiled.

"Right, I won't ask anymore." They both smiled at each other and began to drink more.

Later on, Sherlock returned home. He walked through the door without noticing the girl at first. Then, as he turned after shutting the door he saw her. His eyes widened and he almost froze on the spot. The girl was almost as shocked to see him. John was in the kitchen at that point getting her another drink. "What are you doing here?" Sherlock whispered so John wouldn't hear them.

"I need to speak to you, you haven't been answering me!" She whispered back.

"Do you not think I did that for a reason?"

"You can't do this! I need to talk to you!" Sherlock sighed.

"Right, let's go outside!" He said and they both walked outside. Just to be sure, Sherlock made her go outside of the building to talk to him.

"What do you want Olivia?"

"I wanted to meet you."

"Why? You never wanted to speak to me. I sent you all those letters and I even visited when I could but you didn't even recognise me."

"I was young then! Please. Dad, I didn't understand then. I thought Aunt Beth was my mother and Uncle Jack my father. You're the one who sent me there!" After she said that she realised she chose the wrong words. "I didn't mean-"

"I sent you there because it was better for you! You didn't understand about your mother. I couldn't cope. I didn't want you to grow up in a home with a dad who couldn't cope. But I tried to speak to you and you wouldn't reply, ever." Olivia sighed.

"Please, dad, I'm sorry. I really, really am!" She begged, but he couldn't listen to her.

"Olivia, you went your own way, and I'm proud of you for that. But you can't come back. I was scared of this happening. I knew this would happen." Sherlock looked her in the eyes, her bright blue eyes which were about to flood with tears. "How did you find me?"

"I managed..." she sniffled a little. "I found out about the guy who murdered mum being released from prison, and, I figured, you'd be there. You'd be after him. So, I tracked him down and then found you."

"Olivia, you are leading a good life without me. Why would you come back?"

"Because you're my dad." Sherlock sighed and held her shoulders tight.

"I can't look after you. I can't be a dad. I couldn't before and I can't now. Please..." Sherlock was about to break down as well. "Please, stop this. Just please. I can't... I can't do this now." Sherlock began to cry so much. Olivia wanted to stay with him, but she knew he wouldn't take her.

"All right... fine." She said as she wiped away tears. "Goodbye then. Dad." She sniffled as she walked away slowly from her father. Sherlock knew he'd probably made a mistake, but he just couldn't go back to that life. Not now, not ever.


	5. Chapter 5

**You might have to wait for the next couple of chapters as my internet's gonna go soon, but I'll get it back soon :)**

* * *

Sherlock regretted his decision, but he felt he had to do it; he couldn't go through it all again. Not after what had happened with his wife. So, he eventually went back into the flat to find John sat drinking a cup of tea. He then looked down onto the table and saw another one. "No thanks." Sherlock said as he removed his coat and scarf.

"Oh no, it was for someone who came round for you. Did you pass her or something? She just left." John placed his cup of tea down onto the table.

"Yes, I saw her. We just uh, we spoke about a small case before the summer that I had done. Nothing important." At that minute, John knew Sherlock was clearly lying as the girl had said it was nothing about a case, something private. Then, he remembered the letter that Sherlock had received earlier that day or maybe yesterday, and he knew it must have been from her. But who was she?

"What was the case about?" John decided to quiz Sherlock until he slipped up.

"Just a small robbery." Sherlock said without hesitation.

"Where was I? You never told me about this case?"

"I don't tell you everything, John."

"Wait a minute! I was with you for nearly the whole summer, so when did you do this case?"

"It was when you went to visit Harry."

"How long did it take you to solve? I was only gone for a day."

"And that's all it took me. I was told about it the day before you left, I didn't bring it up because I knew you were leaving the next morning; there would've been no point."

"Right, right." John tried to think of some more questions because Sherlock just wasn't slipping up. "Where was the robbery?"

"Diamond Jewels."

"What did they steal?"

"Just a small necklace." Sherlock was aware of what John was doing, and he was going to play along until John eventually gave up.

"How does that girl know about the robbery?"

"She knows the owner."

"All right." John seemed to be giving up now, there was no way Sherlock was going to make a mistake; he was too clever for that. "Anyway, I thought you didn't do robberies?" Sherlock paused for a moment; the first time he'd paused throughout this inquisition. "It seemed like you only did it for one reason?"

"Oh, and what would that reason be?" Sherlock didn't bother looking towards John.

"Because she asked you to." Sherlock stayed quiet. "And, if that isn't the reason, why did you do it?" Sherlock stayed stationary for a moment. "Sherlock, who was she? Really?" Sherlock sighed, but he still wouldn't reveal a thing yet.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning John came down, once again, to an empty room. Where had Sherlock gone this time? He decided to call Molly first, in case he had popped there like he claimed to have the day before. "So you haven't seen him? And he _wasn't_ there yesterday? Ok, thanks." John hung up the phone and then noticed he had a message. From Sherlock. 'Meet at Scotland Yard. New case.' John quickly grabbed his coat and ran out of the flat.

He got to Scotland Yard quickly and found both Sherlock and Lestrade stood outside. Sherlock seemed to be acting normal this morning. He wanted John to stop pestering him about everything, so he tried to control everything he did. "What's the case then?" John asked as he moved closer to Sherlock and Lestrade.

"A robbery and a murder." Lestrade replied.

"Right. Where do we start?"

"I know just the place." Sherlock began to walk towards the road as he hailed over a taxi. He, John and Lestrade got in and Sherlock told the driver exactly where to go.

As the taxi set off and John put his seat belt on, he noticed a girl stood near the flat, she was trying to hide. Then he realised it was the same girl that had spoken to Sherlock yesterday. He watched her as they drove off, but when Sherlock asked him what he was looking at, he didn't bother to tell him.

In the taxi, Sherlock explained everything to John that he had missed. The robbery was at a small clothes shop and the murder was one of the employees working that night. "Right. So, have you got any ideas?"

"Not really, I need to see the body first. That's why we're going to Bart's."

"Right, right. Obviously."

"You didn't answer my question." John said suddenly to Sherlock. Sherlock turned to him, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"I know I didn't." Lestrade suddenly began to feel slightly uncomfortable and awkward sat beside them both.

"Well I want an answer soon because this is getting ridiculous."

"Forget it. It's over. I am fine." Sherlock turned away from him and John gave up straight away. He was so frustrated with Sherlock for being so stubborn and secretive. Why couldn't he just tell somebody? Why wouldn't he let people help him?


	7. Chapter 7

Eventually, they arrived at St Bart's Morgue. Molly invited them in and took them to the corpse of the employee. Sherlock went straight in to examine the body while Lestrade and John stood on the side waiting for his deduction.

"So, where was he?" Molly whispered to John quietly. John looked at her.

"Scotland Yard, about this case."

"Right. Is he all right?"

"I don't think so, but he won't say anything." Molly nodded.

"Got anything?" Lestrade suddenly asked Sherlock. Sherlock inspected the body more.

"Eight ideas so far, wait, no nine."

"What are they?"

"I'll explain on the way to the shop, come on." Sherlock said as he ran out of the morgue. Lestrade followed him and as did John.

"I'm sure he's fine. He seems normal." Molly quickly said before John left. John smiled and left.

At the shop, Sherlock looked around. He seemed to look mainly at the exact spot the employee was murdered. "What were you two talking about before? In the taxi." Lestrade asked John.

"Oh, uh, just something about a case."

"It was clearly something more than a case." John sighed.

"I don't actually know... He's just been acting incredibly strangely and I have no idea what's going on."

"You said something about you asking him a question?"

"Why he'd done a case that he clearly wouldn't have been interested in."

"Why didn't he answer?" John sighed once more and looked Lestrade straight in the eye.

"I honestly don't know. But, whatever it is, it's something serious." Before they could talk more about it, Sherlock came over and interrupted them. "Anything?"

"Yes, I know who did it and I know where they'll be. Let's go." Sherlock shouted again at them as he ran out of the shop.


	8. Chapter 8

Sherlock and John began to run after the murderer. They had been following him for a long time now, and he finally noticed them so he began to run. Lestrade told them to run after him while he got back up.

They chased after him for ages hoping he would eventually get tired. Unfortunately, he did not. So, they ran after him as fast as they possibly could. Then, he suddenly ran into a back alley where there was a dead end. He ran to the end, looking and hoping there'd be a way out, but there wasn't. He panicked for a moment and looked around. He tried to get one of the bins to see if he could climb over them, but it was no good.

John and Sherlock got there fast. They were shocked. The murderer had Olivia in his arms, holding her by her hair tightly and he had a knife against a throat. Both Sherlock and John stopped suddenly. "Come any closer and I'll slit it. Slit her throat." He seemed very panicked, but he was so crazy John and Sherlock were scared he might do something serious. "Put down the guns." He nodded at the guns in their hands. They both looked at each other, and Sherlock nodded over to John telling him he should listen. John was quite surprised by this because this wasn't like Sherlock; he wouldn't listen, so it was clearly this girl. But he still couldn't figure out what she meant to him. They both lowered their guns down onto the floor. They then stood back up and looked over to the murderer and Olivia who was almost crying. However, she wasn't actually crying. She was struggling slightly, but she was trying to stay calm. John noticed this. She looked over to Sherlock and tried to speak, but she couldn't.

"We've put down the guns, now let her go." Sherlock seemed to be panicking more than Olivia.

"That wasn't part of the deal." The murderer laughed slightly. "Now, tell your copper friends to pop off."

"What?" John wasn't sure of what this guy was going to do.

"Call them! Now!" He screamed. John quickly brought out his phone and called Lestrade. He told them that the murderer had got away and they couldn't catch up to him. He told him not to bother coming. Lestrade found this a little bizarre, but he followed their instructions.

"Right, they're not coming."

"Good." He still had a tight grasp of Olivia's hair and his knife was slowly getting closer and closer to her skin.

"Just let her go." Sherlock told him.

"Why should I?" The murderer laughed and then tightened his grip. Olivia gasped a little and then tried to move away, but it was no use.

Suddenly, there was a shout heard from behind them. There was also a figure; male. No one could quite make out who it was but he was coming closer. They all turned to face him, and then Sherlock turned back. He noticed the murderer was distracted; he knew what to do. He quickly ran into him and pushed Olivia out of the way as he grabbed the knife from his hand. Olivia fell to the floor and John quickly ran to help her up. Sherlock pushed the murderer to the floor and made sure he was unable to move. Then, the figure got closer. It was Lestrade. "Lestrade?" John looked up at him as he helped Olivia stand up. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you really think I'd believe that Sherlock Holmes let somebody go?"

"Fair point." Then, Lestrade turned to Sherlock who was still holding the murderer down. He helped Sherlock and grabbed the murderer. He pushed him up against the side wall when he called two officers over who had accompanied him to arrest him.

As Olivia and Sherlock got themselves together, they turned to each other. Olivia then ran into her father's arms. He held her tightly and wouldn't let go for a few minutes. Then, he let her go, but still held her arms. "Thank you... thank you..." Olivia cried as she hugged him once again. She was shaking and in shock. He held her tight. "I'm... I'm sorry for following you, I should have never followed." She spoke quickly.

"No, I'm sorry. I should've listened to you. I'm so, so sorry." They held each other tightly. John watched and then it all dawned on him. The height, the hair colour, everything was nearly the same. She had Rachel's locket. She was her daughter. She was _Sherlock's_ daughter.

Out of nowhere, the murderer began to make his way from the police officers. He managed to push them hard away and then he turned to grab the knife that Sherlock had thrown onto the floor before he hugged Olivia. John saw that he was heading for Sherlock, as did Lestrade. They both screamed his name. Olivia opened her eyes and saw him coming towards her dad and she quickly pushed him out of the way. Then, she felt a sudden sharp pain through her stomach. She heard the man screaming and police officers grabbing him once again. She felt Sherlock and John grabbing her as she nearly collapsed. They sat down with her. She could feel blood pouring from her. She could hear Lestrade calling for an ambulance. "Olivia... Olivia can you hear me?" Sherlock spoke shakily. He was so scared. Olivia coughed and nodded slightly. "Stay awake, Liv. You can do this. Just... just stay awake. Please." She nearly began to cry because of the pain, but he held her tight so he could comfort her. John watched as he tried to keep her alive. "You've got to stay awake. You need to stay awake, Liv. Otherwise... otherwise you can't stay with me."

"Dad... dad, I can't. It hurts..." she tried to speak.

"Don't say that, don't say that. You can." He picked her up slightly and put her head against his as he cried to her. "You need to stay awake. So I can be a proper dad to you. I will. You can stay awake, you'll get through this." They both began to hear ambulance sirens. "Listen, they're coming. You're going to be fine. You'll be fine. I swear to you."

"But... but what if I die..."

"You won't. I won't let you. I'm not going to let it happen to you. It happened to your mother; I can't let it happen to you too. Just stay awake. Do you promise me you'll stay awake?" Olivia looked into her fathers tearful eyes and nodded. "Good." Sherlock held her closer. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I really am. I should've been there and I wasn't. But I'll make it up to you, all right?" John began to feel guilty. He had seen her following them and he didn't say anything. Maybe, if he had, this wouldn't have happened.

The ambulance came and got Olivia into the vehicle quickly. Sherlock went in with her and sat beside her, holding her hand. He bowed his head down, praying she'd be all right. Lestrade told him he'd take John in his car and they'd meet him at the hospital. He didn't pay much attention, he was too worried.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been three days since Olivia had been sent to hospital. Sherlock had been sat by her side the entire time, holding her hand and making sure she was all right. She had woken up a few times, but not for long. She was due for surgery that day, so both she and Sherlock were incredibly anxious.

Sherlock hadn't had any sleep during the time he'd been there; he looked like a zombie. John had tried to convince him to get some sleep, but he wouldn't until he knew Olivia was safe. He kept bringing Sherlock some drinks and food, but he hardly ate or drank any because he was too nervous and worried.

John and Lestrade stood outside of the room where Olivia was. They saw Sherlock leaning forward with his hands in prayer position as he watched Olivia closely. She was asleep, but Sherlock insisted on staying awake. "I didn't know he had a daughter." Lestrade said to John as he watched Sherlock hold his daughter's hand.

"Was it not in the case notes for Rachel's murder?"

"I wasn't really on that case, and I thought Sherlock would have mentioned anything relevant to it."

"Right." They both stared at Sherlock.

"Has he had any sleep?" Lestrade turned to face John. "He looks like death."

"No, I told him to, but it's Sherlock; he won't sleep until he knows she's ok." John turned to Lestrade.

"Anything to eat? Drink?"

"Hardly. He's incredibly worried; I've never seen him like this."

"What's he going to do if... if..." Lestrade sighed. "If she doesn't make it." John also sighed.

"I don't know. He's just gotten over Rachel's death again, I don't know what he'll do if his daughter dies."

"Maybe it won't be as bad; he hardly saw her; hardly knew her. Or it could make it worse."

"I'm sure she'll be fine anyway. The doctors think she's going to be all right." Lestrade nodded reassuringly, but they still weren't very positive.

Later, John and Lestrade went to see how both Olivia and Sherlock were doing. Sherlock was more or less sat in the exact position he had been for the three days he'd been there. John and Lestrade grabbed some chairs by the side and pulled them towards the bed. "How is she?" Lestrade asked. Sherlock suddenly noticed that they were there. He coughed a little, yawned and then began to speak.

"Uh... they uh... they said she's doing well. They're going to prep her soon for surgery." Sherlock rubbed his face with his hands slowly.

"That's good." Sherlock just nodded.

"And how are you?" John asked Sherlock.

"I... I'm fine. Fine." John and Lestrade knew he wouldn't admit to feeling worried or tired.


	10. Chapter 10

Soon Lestrade left and John went home for a bit to get something nicer to eat. He made sure Sherlock was all right with him leaving.

Sherlock sat holding Olivia's hand tight. He tried to not show he was worried, but it was getting harder. She woke up a little before she went for her surgery. "D... dad?" Sherlock looked up at her; her eyes were only half open and she was very quiet. He held her hand tighter.

"I'm here, Liv. I'm here."

"W... what's going... on?" She still wasn't very sure of her whereabouts as she hadn't really woken up a lot when she got there.

"You... you're in hospital."

"Oh yeah..." She gulped hard. Sherlock had to fight back a few tears because he couldn't stand to see her this way. "Did... did you catch the guy?" Sherlock laughed a little. She reminded him so much of himself. He nodded with a smile. "Good."

"You'll get through this, Liv. I know you will. I have been there, in your life, you never saw me, but I watched you growing up. I know you're a fighter. You'll make it." Olivia also began to fight back tears.

"But... but what if I don't?"

"Don't say that. You will, I promise you; I will not let them give up on you. I promise, do you understand?" He held her hand up and kissed it. She smiled and nodded.

"Are... are Aunt Beth and Uncle Jack... coming?"

"I'll get them." Sherlock smiled. "I also need to tell them that, when you're better, you're coming to live with me. Obviously, only if you want to." Olivia smiled and the tears she'd been holding back just fell out.

"I... I would love to." Both of them beamed with happiness. Then, Olivia suddenly started to get a lot of pain where she'd been stabbed. She let out a scream and Sherlock jumped up quickly. She continued to scream so he called for help. The nurses and her doctor came over. "What is it? What's wrong?" Sherlock was incredibly worried; he didn't know what was happening. He didn't know why it was happening to her.

"We're going to have to take her straight to surgery." Sherlock began to panic.

"Is it safe?"

"It's the safest option we have." Sherlock was scared, but he knew this was the best chance his daughter had. He held her hand and looked into her eyes.

"They're taking you to surgery now. You're going to be fine, remember that. You have to wake up, you will. Ok? Remember." He kept reminding her, and himself, as the doctors took her to surgery.


	11. Chapter 11

Sherlock sent John a message quickly. When John got the message, he practically ran out of the flat. He knew Sherlock needed him, otherwise he wouldn't have texted him. So, he quickly got a cab to the hospital.

Sherlock wasn't allowed to watch the surgery; he was made to wait outside. He tried to get in, but they insisted that he should stay outside. John eventually arrived and sat beside him. "How come they've taken her in earlier?"

"She... she, uh, started to get horrible pains where the wound is. The doctor said she's losing blood and so they... they took her in." John nodded.

"Right, right." He looked down at his hands and then at Sherlock. "How are you feeling?" Sherlock sighed.

"I'm tired... I'm really, really tired, John. I haven't slept or eaten. I want to sleep. I want to rest but I can't! I can't stop worrying about her. She's the only memory I have left of Rachel. She's my daughter. She can't die. Not like this. And I can't sleep until I know she's all right."

"Why? You need rest, Sherlock. I'll stay with her for a bit after the surgery if you want some sleep?"

"No, I can't."

"Sherlock-"

"No, John. I can't do that to her. Before the surgery she asked me if her Aunt Beth and Uncle Jack were coming. They've raised her. I wasn't there for her, and now... now she needs me. I'm not going to leave her. I put my needs before hers the last time and it won't happen again. It's not going to happen."

"All right." John nodded. He understood where Sherlock was coming from.

"This is all my fault." Sherlock sighed while waiting for Olivia to come from surgery. John looked at him.

"No it's not; don't start blaming yourself for this."

"But it is! I shouldn't have abandoned her in the first place, and then I did it a second time when she came over just to see me. She came to see _me. _She actually wanted to meet me. And what did I do? I pushed her away." John didn't know what to say.

"I saw her." He didn't mean to say it; it just came out because he, too, was feeling guilty. Sherlock looked at him confused. "I saw Olivia following us. I didn't... I didn't say anything because I had no idea who she was and I thought... I thought maybe, maybe she would make you happy. I thought that she could've been a member of Rachel's family, I didn't think daughter, but I thought. And, I thought, it would make you feel... I don't know... just, better. I'm sorry." Sherlock had anger in his eyes. John could see and he felt like running away as fast as he could, but he had to face the music. Then, Sherlock said something completely unexpected.

"It's... it's ok."

"What? Why?"

"Because... I didn't tell you who she was. You didn't know she was in danger, so it's not your fault. I should have told you then who she was."

"Is that sort of an apology?" Sherlock looked at John and raised his eyebrows. John chuckled a little. "Ok." John took a deep breath. "She'll be fine though, I'm sure." John mentioned. Sherlock looked down at the floor.

"I can only hope."

"It wasn't that deep, the cut. She'll be back to normal in no time."

"But..." Sherlock inhaled deeply.

"But what?" John knew what Sherlock was going to ask.

"But what if... what if she doesn't?" Sherlock looked back at John and John looked at Sherlock. For the first time he saw desperation in Sherlock's eyes. Even though he'd been waiting for Sherlock to be desperate for help as he was so clever, he never wanted it like this. "What if there's a complication or something and she doesn't come out? She could die."

"She could. There's no denying that. However, you've just got to stay positive. For yourself and for Olivia. And, for Rachel." Sherlock smiled a little. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's your daughter; if she's anything like you she won't let herself die. You won't let her die."

"Thank you." John nodded and smiled sympathetically.


	12. Chapter 12

Sherlock saw the surgeon coming out. He jumped up, so John also did. He looked at the surgeon and the surgeon looked straight back. Sherlock didn't know what to think. Then, the surgeon nodded and smiled a little. John noticed that Sherlock was incredibly happy, it was the first time he'd really been happy for someone else. He shook the surgeon's hand and thanked him at least three times. John also shook his hands with the surgeon and then turned to Sherlock. "See, I told you." Sherlock smiled. John smiled back because he was happy for both Sherlock and Olivia.

"We're taking her back to her bed now. She'll be out for maybe another hour or so, but she'll wake up soon. We're going to keep her in for observation for a couple of days and then she's free to go." Sherlock smiled and they went back to Olivia's bed where she was being put.

Olivia eventually woke up slowly to the smell of disinfectant and the sound of machines beeping over and over. She turned her head slowly to the right and groaned miserably as she opened his eyes gradually. As she opened them, he could see people rushing around; others were vomiting and others just lying in their beds. Then she turned to look at the blank ceiling above him. She blinked several times until she was able to see quite clearly. "Olivia?" Olivia turned her head to the right after hearing a familiar voice; Sherlock's. Sherlock smiled as Olivia looked over at him. "Are you feeling all right?" Olivia moaned a little, but then smiled.

"Uh, yeah." She spoke in a whisper. Sherlock smiled and held her hand.

"The doctor said you're going to be fine. We're going to take you home in a few days if you're all right." Olivia smiled more, as did Sherlock. "Now, Olivia. I need to speak to you about living with me." Olivia's smile sank.

"Have you changed your mind?"

"No, no, of course not! I do want you to live with me. However, I want you to think about it carefully. It might not always be safe. I want you to know that. I am going to try and cut down on cases as much as I can so I can take care of you. I've spoken to Lestrade to tell him that I want to take about a month of to get you settled in and to find you a school. But, I need to know if it's definitely what _you_ want. Is it?" Olivia thought hard. She had only just woken up and felt a little put on the spot, but she knew she had to talk about it soon. Sherlock could see she was tired, though. "How about you sleep on it and tell me then. You look tired."

"So do you." Olivia smiled.

"Yes, well I've been looking after you. I didn't want to sleep without knowing you were safe." Olivia was shocked and felt a little guilty for making him stay awake for her.

"You could've slept. I'm sorry." Sherlock chuckled a little.

"You don't have to apologise, you're my responsibility. I put you in danger and you got hurt, so I'm going to look after you. All right?" Olivia nodded her head slightly. "Now get some more rest, you need it." He patted her and she slowly drifted off again.

Later, John arrived with a bag of fresh clothes for Sherlock and he'd also bought him something to eat. Sherlock refused to eat; John didn't know why because he knew Olivia was now safe. "Why won't you eat? You need it; you haven't eaten or slept in four days now."

"It's fine. I'll sleep when Olivia's home." John didn't bother arguing with him.

"Oh, by the way, do you know where Olivia's going to sleep? Have you planned this through?"

"Mrs Hudson told me she has a spare room where Olivia can sleep."

"Have you bought anything for her?"

"John, I haven't really had the time for that. I'm going to do that when we get her settled in. Her Aunt has already brought some things for her and is going to bring the rest round in a few days, that way she can also help take Olivia home." John nodded.

"Wow." Sherlock looked at him confused. "You have actually planned this through." John smiled. "What are you going to do about work, though?"

"Ah, well, I've told Lestrade I'm going to have to take a month or so off to get Liv settled in and then I'm going to try and do little cases. I did too many when I was with Rachel, too many big ones; I had no time with her. It ruined our relationship; I won't do it to Liv."

"All right." John didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing. Could Sherlock cope without doing cases? Or was this all going to soon blow up in his face? He hoped it would all go well for both his and Olivia's sakes.


	13. Chapter 13

A week had passed since Olivia had been brought into hospital, three days since she had had the operation. The doctors told her she was able to go home tomorrow, so both she and Sherlock were incredibly excited. John couldn't believe Sherlock was acting like this; the human in him had finally made an appearance. "Right, I'd better get you some clothes to go home in. Is it all right if I leave you with John? Your Aunt is on her way to the flat to drop of some of your things, and then she's going to bring me back here with some clothes." Olivia smiled. Sherlock left and left Olivia with John. John sat down beside her and smiled.

"So, are you excited?" Olivia nodded.

"I didn't know at first whether... whether to go, but I want to be with my dad." John smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Well, he has changed a bit. He's normally quite mean, but since you came, he's been a little more caring. Well, towards you anyway." He chuckled.

"Is it... is it all right?" John look confused. "Is it all right if I come and live with you and dad?"

"Of course it is! You're his daughter! Why didn't you think I'd be all right with it?"

"I don't know. Sorry." She felt a little embarrassed, but John laughed to cheer her up.

"We're just friends anyway. Plus, I could be moving out soon with my girlfriend, Mary." Olivia smiled.

"I didn't think you were more than friends. I could see why others do though." Both of them laughed a little. "Has Sherlock got somebody?" The laughter suddenly stopped.

"Uh, no."

"How come?"

"Well, at first I had no idea why. I thought he was cold. Don't tell him I said that," Olivia smiled. "Not many people really like him. He is dedicated to his work. People hate him because he is a bit horrible sometimes because he's a little _too_ clever, if you know what I mean." It took Olivia a few minutes to know what he meant.

"So, what was the real reason?"

"I think... Well, I think it was to do with what happened to your mother." Olivia gulped a little.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"How old were you? You don't have to answer, if you want to stop talking about this, we can."

"I was four. I didn't really understand it then. After that, dad began to spend most of his time in his room. I didn't know what was going on, I was too young. Then, after a week, he told me I was going to stay with my Aunt Beth. He didn't say how long I'd be there, just that I was going to stay with her for a while. Now, I'm fourteen. My Aunt told me everything about my mother and about my dad. She was the one who told me to find him; she had heard about what happened with the guy and wanted me to find him." John nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's not my dad's either. That's why I want to stay with him. He deserves a chance to raise me, and I deserve a chance to be raised by my real dad." John smiled.

"Yes, yes you do." They both smiled. "You're very alike. You and your dad." Olivia smiled.

"I don't really know yet."

"Well, you're both determined to get what you want and not let anything stand in your way. You are strong and brave. Don't tell him I said he was brave. Or strong." They both laughed.

"Thanks."


	14. Chapter 14

Sherlock had gotten to the flat. His sister in law wasn't yet there, so he waited for her outside. He began to feel a little wobbly and dizzy. His eyesight was going blurry and he was struggling to stand up properly. He blinked slowly and kept nearly falling asleep, but he tried to stop it. He didn't know what was happening. He started to get a horrible headache and his legs could no longer take his weight. His eyes rolled back into his head and he suddenly collapsed to the cold, hard, concrete floor. He banged the side of his face a little, and some blood poured out, but not too much.

Finally Olivia's Aunt arrived. She struggled to find the place, but then saw Speedy's Cafe and knew she was there. She got out of her car and straight away noticed Sherlock lying on the floor. She didn't know what had happened, so she ran over. She knelt down beside him and tried to wake him up. "Sherlock? Sherlock, can you hear me?" She shook him, but it was no good. She quickly called an ambulance and continued to try and wake him up. She could see that he was pale and his eyes had huge bags under his eyes.

Eventually an ambulance turned up and took him to the same hospital Olivia had been taken to. He had managed to regain consciousness by then, but he hardly spoke and he'd thrown up a lot.

John and Olivia were beginning to get worried about Sherlock's whereabouts. Olivia was worried he'd got scared about her moving in and run away. John was also starting to get the same impression. Then, his phone began to ring. It was Olivia's Aunt; she'd managed to get John's number from Sherlock's phone. "Hello?" John had no idea who it was.

"Hi, is this John?"

"Uh, yes. Who's this?"

"It's Olivia's Aunt, Beth. Is Olivia there? Is she all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. Have you gotten to the flat all right?"

"Well, yes and no. I managed to find the flat, but we're not there."

"Oh right, where are you?"

"We're at the hospital."

"Already?"

"Sherlock passed out. I found him lying outside of the flat unconscious. I brought him in and they're running some tests."

"Is he all right?" John looked over to Olivia who was curious as to what was happening.

"I don't know, he's not really with it. He looks half dead."

"Right, which floor are you on? I'll go there and you can come here, say hello to Olivia."

"I'm on floor two, where are you?"

"Floor three, you come here first so I don't leave Olivia on her own."

"All right."

"Thanks." They both hung up and Beth began to make her way up to the third floor.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked as John waited for Beth.

"Your dad collapsed or something outside the flat. He's here, they're running tests now. Your Aunt's going to come up here and I'm going to check on Sherlock, is that all right?" Olivia nodded anxiously.

"Will you come and tell me if he's all right?"

"Of course I will; I'm sure he just needs to rest. He hasn't slept or eaten for a week, so that's probably why."

"All right. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Any time." John smiled and then Beth turned up.

"Hey, kiddo." She smiled at Olivia who looked worried about Sherlock. Beth sat down and John shook her hand before leaving to see Sherlock.

Sherlock saw John walking over and sitting beside his bed. His eyes were almost fully closed and he felt incredibly sick. "What happened?" Sherlock closed his eyes and spoke very faintly.

"I... uh, I don't" he coughed weakly "I don't know. I just collapsed."

"Maybe it's because you've not been eating or sleeping enough?"

"Probably," Sherlock coughed a little more. "Is Olivia all right?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She's more worried about you."

"If I'm not... not well enough tomorrow... will you take her... take her to the flat?"

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay with you?"

"We've been... in hospital enough. She needs to... needs to go home..." Sherlock began to feel a little tired, so John stopped asking him questions for a bit.

Olivia lay in the bed waiting for John to come and tell her Sherlock was going to be all right. Beth kept trying to change the subject, but Olivia was worried. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. The first thing he asked when he woke up was where you were and if you were all right. He will make himself fine so he can see you." Beth tried to cheer her up.

"Is it my fault?"

"Why would it be your fault?"

"Because I came to find him and got myself into danger. He said it was his fault, but I was the one to follow him."

"Of course it's not your fault. It's neither of your faults. You were both just unlucky, I guess." Olivia sighed. "Livy, you've been waiting a long time to be with your father, don't let this spoil it for you. He'll be fine and you're going to live together!" Olivia perked up a little.

"Will you miss me?"

"Obviously! I have raised you since you were three. I didn't want you to go at first, but he's your dad. You deserve to live with him; I can't keep you from him."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For raising me for ten years. I love you and I promise to visit at least every week."

"Your dad's said he'll make sure you come round every Friday after school so you can sleep over. Some Saturdays he's going to take you early so he can spend the day with you, and some we're going to take you out or something. Is that ok?"

"Yes! Thanks." Beth leaned over and hugged her, but not too tight.

"Oh, by the way, where's Jack?" Olivia asked looking around.

"He's at work, he couldn't make it. But, he's going to be here when you go home so he can see you." They both smiled and continued to hug each other.


	15. Chapter 15

John eventually went back to Olivia and Beth. "How is he? Do they know what's wrong?"

"He just needs some sleep and food and he'll be fine," both Olivia and Beth smiled.

"See! I told you he'd be fine." Beth told Olivia. "At least he can sleep here." Olivia seemed a little suspicious. Maybe he already felt horrible but he didn't say anything because he was too worried about her.

"Do you want me to bring him here? The doctors said he should be able to come up in a wheelchair."

"All right." Beth smiled. So John went to get Sherlock quickly.

"Beth? Does dad enjoy his work?"

"He does."

"How much?"

"I don't really know, from what I can gather, he loves it. Why are you asking me this?"

"He said he's going to stay off and cut down on it to look after me. Is that selfish?"

"Of course it isn't! He wants to spend time with you. In fact, I think he's going to enjoy spending time with you more than his work. Before..." Beth choked a little. "Before your mother died... Sherlock was a little different."

"How so?"

"He didn't spend so much time doing his work. He spent a lot of time with her. He even tried to get away from it. You were at my house that day, when she died. They were going to go out because they'd been doing so much time with their work. They always tried to get away from it. Then, after she passed, your dad buried himself in his work. Now, he wants to cut down on it because he doesn't want to risk losing you again. He wants to get to know you and he can't do that while on one of his cases. Trust me, it's not selfish, he wants this." Olivia didn't know whether to smile or what.

"Does he blame himself for mum's death? Do you blame him?"

"Of course I don't blame him. It wasn't his fault a psycho was on the loose. He blames himself for not being able to catch him sooner so she would be safe. He blames himself for not managing to get to your mother in time. But, it's not his fault. Do you blame him?"

"No."

"Do you blame him for anything else?" Beth knew that Olivia was trying to get to something.

"Sort of."

"What is it?"

"Promise you won't say?"

"Of course."

"Well, I'm just upset that he never came for me. He never came to find me. He seemed to help himself and get over mum, so why couldn't he get me? Not that you weren't amazing, but I hardly knew my real father."

"Listen, Livy. When you're older, you'll understand. Your dad had to go to therapy because of the death of your mother. He gave you to me and Jack because he thought you needed better care. He rang us after therapy and always asked how you were and when your next school assembly was or something. He always turned up. However, he never came to get you because he couldn't cope. You reminded him too much of your mum, not in a bad way. Plus, he didn't think he'd be a good dad to you. Honestly, he wanted you, but he thought it was best for you to stay." Olivia sort of smiled.

"So he didn't do it because he didn't want me?"

"Is that what you've been thinking? He wanted you so badly, Livy, but he didn't want to hurt you. Trust me, he loves you." Olivia smiled and then John strolled in with Sherlock in a wheelchair. Beth and John both left Olivia and Sherlock to talk.

"So, seems like you don't want to leave this place." Olivia joked. Sherlock laughed and coughed at the same time.

"How are you?"

"Feeling a lot better. Thanks for taking care of me, dad." Sherlock smiled. "How are you?"

"A bit tired and dizzy."

"Dad, did you feel ill while I was here?" Sherlock didn't say anything, Olivia knew the answer. "Why didn't you say something? You wouldn't have collapsed and gotten that scar on your face."

"Because you're my top priority, I needed to make sure you were all right before I checked on myself."

"Is that why you didn't eat? Because you were sick?"

"Part of the reason, yes."

"Dad!"

"I'm sorry; I was just worried about you." They both smiled at each other.


	16. Chapter 16

Sherlock, Olivia, John and Beth made their way to the flat. Beth took Olivia in the car so she could spend some time with her, and Sherlock and John went in a taxi.

"So, are you excited?"

"Sort of. It's weird, I've been waiting for this day, and now it's come, I don't feel that excited. I feel more anxious."

"Well that's normal. Don't worry, though. Everything's going to be great." Olivia smiled.

"Yeah. I'll finally be with dad."

In the taxi, Sherlock still didn't feel 100%, but he tried to hide it so he could be happy. However, his headache was getting incredibly painful and it was hard to not moan in agony. "Sherlock? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Just a headache."

"Do you want one of the pills?" Sherlock wanted to refuse, but he was in too much pain to do so. John got them from his pocket and handed them to him. Sherlock quickly got one and leaned against the side of the window. "So, how are you feeling about Olivia?"

"Good." Sherlock didn't speak very much; he began to fall asleep because he was so tired.

"Are you just going to be unpacking today?"

"We're... we're going to rest to... today."

"Are you still going to have that big dinner tonight?"

"Yes. You're... invited, you know?"

"Right."

"It's... it's going to... to..." Sherlock drifted off slowly. John didn't bother to wake him up.

Everyone eventually got to the flat. John had to wake Sherlock up, and even then, he still wasn't properly awake. He staggered into the flat with Olivia and showed her to her room. It was yellow, her favourite colour when she was young. It had a big bed in, blue curtains, some pictures of her as a child, and all of her belongings. "I know there's not much, but, once it's filled with your things it'll be full. Do you like it?" Olivia looked around the room and smiled. She loved it.

"I love it! How did you do it?"

"Well, I didn't do this on my own because I'm not very good at this sort of thing. Your Uncle helped me with it. I'm glad you like it." She hugged him tight, trying not to hurt herself. "Do you want me to leave you to get settled in?"

"All right." She smiled. Sherlock left to his room to get some rest and Olivia checked her room out.


	17. Chapter 17

Olivia went into the living room after checking out her room for a while. John was sat in there reading a newspaper, but Sherlock was nowhere to be seen. John noticed Olivia walking in so he put his newspaper onto the table and looked up at her. She looked a little shy and awkward as she sat down at the edge of the sofa. "Do you like your room?"

"Yeah, it's very nice."

"Would you like a drink?"

"Uh, could I have a juice please?"

"I'll see if we have any." John got up from his seat and went to look in the cupboard. When he opened it, he was surprised.

"What is it?" Olivia noticed John was surprised.

"We have food. Actual edible food; and lots of it."

"And...?"

"We never normally have food. We eat out most of the time... Anyway, we have apple juice?"

"That'll be nice, thanks." Olivia smiled. John then began to make her drink.

He brought the juice in and handed it to Olivia. "Oh, your Aunt is coming to pick you up to take you somewhere in about an hour. She told me to ask you to wear the dress she bought you a couple of weeks ago." Olivia looked confused.

"Uh, right ok. Do you know where she's taking me?"

"No, she didn't say, sorry."

"Does my dad know?"

"I think so. I'll ask him when he wakes up; he just went to bed for half an hour or so to rest."

"Oh, all right. Is it all right if I go to my room to find my dress?"

"Of course." John smiled and Olivia smiled back. When she left the room, John sent a text to Sherlock.

_**She's going to get ready now – JW**_

_**Right, we'll be done soon, so Beth will be on her way in half an hour to pick her up. Make sure Olivia is ready and don't tell her anything. – SH**_

John put his phone away and went up to his room to get a nice shirt on and get ready.

He later came down to find Olivia stood in the living room with a bright yellow dress on and her hair up nicely. "That's a nice dress."

"Thanks." Olivia smiled nervously. "Do you know where dad is?"

"Oh, he had to pop out for a few minutes, but he'll be back soon." Olivia's smile sank. She thought her dad had left her again.

Before she could say anything, there was a knock at the door. It was Beth. John invited her in. She looked at Olivia in her dress and smiled.

"Livy, that dress looks lovely on you."

"Thanks."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Uh, I need to wait for dad."

"Oh, that's all right, I'll text him." John intervened. Olivia was upset about this; she wanted to speak to her dad.

"Don't worry." Beth said.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Beth smiled. "Now, let's go." Olivia went to make her way out and then so did John.

"Are you coming to?"

"Oh, no, Beth's just dropping me off somewhere." Olivia nodded and then followed Beth to her car. Olivia sat in the back while John sat in the front beside Beth. They spoke to each other as they drove to their destination, while Olivia sat in the back and wondered what was going on.

They eventually reached the place. There were balloons outside the door and other cars parked outside. Beth turned to Olivia and smiled. "Go on then." She pointed to the building. Olivia opened the door and walked towards the building. She began to see people's faces. There was her Uncle Jack and Mycroft and other people she didn't really know, but she knew they must be friends of her dad's. She walked in, and Beth and John walked behind. Then Sherlock handed her a present. The whole place was covered in decorations for her. She realised it was to celebrate her moving in. Sherlock hadn't been answering because he was doing all this, not because he didn't want her anymore. She couldn't stop smiling. She felt amazing. She finally had her dad and he loved her.

Throughout the party Sherlock introduced Olivia to a few people like Lestrade, Molly and, although she already knew Mycroft, Sherlock told her more about him as she hardly ever spoke to him when she was with her Aunt and Uncle. "You look amazing in that dress." Sherlock said to Olivia when they were on their own.

"Thanks, dad." She smiled a huge smile. "I thought, at first, you didn't want me to live with you and that you'd run off. I got a bit suspicious when Beth came to pick me up and John came with us, but I didn't expect this." Sherlock smile and held her tight. She grunted a little as the wound still hurt, so Sherlock let go of her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I never thought you'd actually come and live with me one day. I once considered it, ages ago, but I thought I'd be terrible and that you'd hate me, so I couldn't do it. But now, seeing you like this, happy, I realise what I was missing out on, and I'm sorry. Not just to you but to myself. I hope this can make things up to you."

"Of course, I absolutely love it. By the way, do you already know Molly likes you?"

"See, you're definitely my daughter, you could be a detective, too." Sherlock smiled.

"I actually want to be a writer. I've written some short stories and stuff." Olivia smiled.

"You take after your mother, she was a journalist. I am sure you will do as well as her, maybe even better. And I'll have to read these stories."

"Obviously." She smiled.

At the end of the party, they all got together and raised a toast to Olivia. John was happy that Sherlock had suddenly changed because of her, Beth and Jack were happy because they wanted her to be with her dad where she should be, Olivia was happy that she finally got to be with her dad and that he loved her, and Sherlock was ecstatic because Olivia found him and she was all right after the stabbing, so he could spend time with her and raise her like he should. He was so happy she found him.


	18. The End

**Sherlock's POV**

* * *

**I saw the surgeon coming out. I jumped up, so John also did. I looked at the surgeon and the surgeon looked straight back. I didn't know what to think, was she all right? Was there a complication? I had no idea. Then, the surgeon came over to me and looked me in the eye. He looked emotional and sad. Then, he shook his head slowly and looked at the floor, clearly a look he'd mastered. So, that was it. That one look told me that Olivia was dead. He told me there was a complication, she'd lost too much blood and they'd tried their best. I didn't believe they'd done their best, if they had, she could still be with me. I was so angry and full of hatred I wanted to hit him. However, I went to go and see her. The cold body of my daughter. **

** As I walked into the room where she lay, I felt awful and the need to throw up. I didn't want it to happen to her. It was my fault, just like her mother's death was. I pushed her away twice and she followed me because she wanted to live with me. I felt like such a monster, I still do. I hate myself for what I did. **

** I got closer and closer to her corpse, but I walked at a slow pace, trying to bring myself to terms with this. John had waited outside because I wanted to do this alone. I wanted to be with my daughter alone because I hadn't done before. I held her hand. It wasn't that cold, but it was still a little cold. I kissed it softly and then placed it back down on the bed. I didn't understand how she was with me one second and then not the next. Why did this happen to her? All she ever wanted was her dad and this happened to her. She deserved to be happy and to live a happy life. Why did this happen?**

** I brushed her hair back from her face and began to cry a little. I looked at her beautiful face and wondered why I never went back for her. Why didn't I do it? I had already planned everything out and her Uncle Jack and I were going to have everything sorted in her new bedroom. I was so excited for her to move in. At first I wasn't sure if she'd definitely want to move in because of my life, but I was going to cut the cases down so I could spend time with her; I wanted to do this. **

** I was going to get her some clothes for when she was allowed to leave and then we were going to go to the flat and I would show her the room. Her new bedroom. "You would've been so happy," I said to my dead daughter. "It was going to be yellow, your favourite colour. I told Beth to bring all your stuff round so we could put it out for you so you didn't have to do it yourself. It would have been amazing." I began to cry a little more as I held her hand tighter. "Then I was going to give you a huge party, just for you. Because I never thanked you for finding me... Thanks. I never realised how much I wanted it, but now I realise I missed out on so much. Why couldn't I find you? Why? I went to most of your school plays, but I was never able to say hello to you. I don't know why, I guess I was scared because I felt awful for abandoning you. I was stupid... Anyway, I was going to actually buy food for you and I've never bought food for inside the house in my life." I laughed a little, choking on my tears. "You would've worn your dress that Beth bought you for the party and it would've been amazing. I would ask Beth to take you there and not tell you, and then you'd see all these balloons and you'd come in and I'd give you a gift. I'd introduce you to Lestrade and Molly, and you could get to know Mycroft better. You'd tell me about your life and what you want to do when you're older. Then, we'd raise a toast to you. Everything would be amazing. Why did this happen to you? I'm so, deeply sorry. I am." I couldn't take anymore, I cried more than I'd cried before. **

** Eventually, me and John left and went back to the flat. I walked in slowly and he stood by the doorway, watching me. He asked me how I felt and, in response to that, I threw everything on my desk onto the floor. Also dropping the locket Olivia had sent to me. I screamed in despair and John actually looked quite scared for a moment. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" He asked. I didn't know whether I should be alone or not, but I told him to go. Then, I walked over to the floor and picked up the locket, looked inside and found the picture of me and my wife, Rachel. I gave that to Olivia when she was four, right before I sent her to Beth's home. I told her to take good care of it and we'd find each other, one day. Seems like we did, but it was too late.**

** I later went to bed and slept all night. I kept dreaming about what life would have been like with Olivia there; I wanted that life. **

** John came down in the morning, he came into my room because I didn't want to leave my bed. He seemed worried about me. He told me Lestrade and Mycroft had called to see how I was doing, I didn't respond. I didn't speak all day, or eat. I slept mostly and stayed in bed even when I was awake. I decided to do this everyday. John kept telling me there was no point in laying there, it wouldn't bring Olivia or Rachel back. Sadly, I cried so much when they both died I can't really produce tears anymore. **

** On the day of Liv's funeral I couldn't cope. I had to make a speech which was hard as we hardly knew each other. But, I did because I love her. I didn't have any tears to fight back because, as I said before, tears were no longer producible. So, after her funeral, I came home and buried myself in my bed once again.**

** John began to get annoyed at me for not moving out of the bed at all. Not doing any cases, not seeing a therapist or anything. I didn't say a word, just lay there. He gave up trying to get me out of the bed and the house. He hardly comes around anymore. He married Mary and so he's caught up in that. I don't envy him or hate him for that because I know what it's like to lose time with your loved ones, so I wasn't going to make him stay with me when he has a wife. **

** This is why I'm writing this note; because I can't do this anymore. I can't stay in bed everyday wishing Olivia and Rachel were back. I can't do this. I can't blame myself for their deaths because it's hurting me too much. I can't keep imagining my life with them and how amazing it would be. So, I have to end it all. I am writing a note because, if I told you, you'd all try and stop me and I don't want you to. Because I don't want help from a therapist or anything, I want Olivia and Rachel back in my life and I know that won't happen, so, I am going to end mine. I can't live without them, so I can't live. I'm sorry, I am, but this is goodbye. **


End file.
